Walk It Through: The Jacket
$950 is the line, an arrest for an offense in the officer's presence, and a dismissal after probation.
A college student walks out of a department store wearing a jacket that was never paid for, and an officer standing by the exit sees it.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One jacket and one conviction. Grand theft, burglary of a store, and sealing an arrest that ended without a conviction are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Petty theftTheft where the value taken does not exceed $950, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.
- ShopliftingEntering an open store during regular business hours intending to steal property worth $950 or less. A misdemeanor.
- Dismissal after probationWithdrawing a guilty plea or setting aside a verdict and dismissing the case after probation ends, releasing the person from the penalties and disabilities of the offense, with exceptions.
- InfractionAn offense classified as an infraction, carrying a fine up to $250 when no other punishment is set.